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WEEKEND RACING: Lewis as much at fault as Nico; race ‘fixing’ explained; NASCAR Pinty’s, touring cars, IMSA, local results and just about everything else you can think of

Wheels Editor Norris McDonald is back on the job after a mid-summer vacation and has a whole lotta catching up to do, starting with how come everybody always picks on Nico Rosberg when even his boss says it takes two to tango.

Okay, to make this official (and to get it out of the way), Lewis Hamilton won the Grand Prix of Austria Sunday in a Mercedes, with Max Verstappen second for Red Bull (a very popular result at the Red Bull Ring, nee A-1 Ring) and Kimi Raikkonen third for Ferrari. Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was fourth.

But the real story of the race was – as usual – the never-ending soap opera at Mercedes involving Hamilton and Rosberg, who crashed into each other on the last lap (what a surprise, eh?) and then took turns blaming the other guy for it (astonishing . . .).

Rosberg was winning the race, Hamilton went to pass him on the last lap and they had a coming together that saw Lewis emerge in front and Rosberg limp home in a damaged car fourth.

Mercedes pay manager Toto Wolff called the collision “brainless.” Niki Lauda, the team’s non-executive chairman (does anybody know what that means?) blamed Rosberg but added that he hadn’t seen the replay, having learned his lesson the hard way the last time they collided when he initially said it was Hamilton’s fault but had to modify his opinion later.

I have two things to say about all this. I actually have many more than two things to say but let’s start with two.

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One, why is anybody surprised by this? That these collisions are inevitable is a no-brainer. I can’t understand Wolff going on TV and saying that he can’t understand why they have to crash into each other all the time. I know why they do: they are racing each other and neither one is going to give the other an inch.

Wolff says Mercedes decided this year to let the drivers race each other. So what does he expect? That Hamilton is going to back off? That Rosberg is going to be Mr. Nice Guy and let Lewis drive past him? Such expectations are unrealistic.

Mercedes now has a choice: it can impose team orders or else continue to let them race each other and watch them crash into each other every now and again because that is what is going to happen.

Two, I resent having nobody but British announcers analyzing these incidents because their bias is overwhelming. Whenever Rosberg and Hamilton collide, it is always one of two things – all Nico’s fault or, Lewis’s fault but with Nico bearing some responsibility. You will never hear that gang – Coulthard, Brundle, et al –lay all of the blame on Hamilton. Never, ever.

I happen to think that both of those drivers were at fault: that Nico didn’t turn into the corner in question early enough (probably hoping to push Lewis off the track) and Lewis – who knew full well that Rosberg was right there and that if he turned in there would be a crash – turned hard right before he had to and thus caused the collision. You can agree or disagree but click here to watch the video.

That Wolff then had a meltdown and Lauda pointed the finger of scorn at Rosberg was not an opinion shared – apparently – by the Mercedes team mechanics or the crowd. When Hamilton crossed the line and swerved toward the pit wall to receive congratulations, as per tradition, exactly one guy (maybe a few others) was waving his arms in jubilation rather than the usual dozen or more. Lewis’s engineer almost looked embarrassed to be up on the podium with him (they didn’t talk to each other in the waiting room before the ceremony, which I found particularly telling) and when the post-trophy presentation interview began, and he was asked about the dustup, he was booed lustily.

The stewards (of course: the stewards) called Rosberg onto the carpet after the race and gave him a 10-second penalty for causing the crash, which still left him in fourth place. Now, two guys crashed here (even Toto Wolff acknowledged that “it takes two to tango”), so how come only one gets called into the office? As I said, look at the replay: if Hamilton doesn’t turn in as sharply as he does, there’s likely no collision. Also, yellow flags were waving for Sergio Perez’s crash when Hamilton passed Nico and that could – I repeat: could – have been a topic for discussion with the stewards but – well, no.

There’s a guy wearing a white hat here, and a guy wearing a dark hat, just like in the movies. Go back over the years that these two have been racing each other, on the same team, and you’ll find one of them gets to put cream in his coffee most of the time while the other gets the skim milk. It happens all too often for it to be coincidence and yet I refuse to believe that one of them is mostly at fault just about all of the time. I’ll leave it to you to figure out who and what I was talking about in the preceding three sentences.

NOTEBOOK JOTTINGS

— If this plays out as I expect it will (the TV interviews with Wolff and Lauda removed just about all doubt), Lewis Hamilton just won another world championship. Once again, as happened at Spa two years ago, Wolff and Lauda will scare the living daylights out of Rosberg about even going near Hamilton again and poor Nico will be so unnerved that it will take him the rest of this year and much of next to regain his confidence. If I was him – and it, indeed, happens that way – I’d be seriously thinking about moving on.

— Sebastian Vettel was screaming along the pit straight at the Red Bull Ring early in the race when his right-rear tire exploded, just like that. The four-times world champion held onto his Ferrari for a bit but then the car spun around, hit a wall and bounced across the track before coming to rest. He was very lucky that nobody hit him.

The scene was very reminiscent of the 1986 Australian Grand Prix when Nigel Mansell’s left rear tire exploded, also on the pit straight (click here to watch that video). Mansell, in a magnificent exhibition of driving, managed to keep his brakeless Williams under control the length of the straight until he was able to go down an escape road, at which time he nosed it into a barrier. It was a real heart-breaker for Mansell, however, as he was leading the race at the time and if he’d won, he would have become world champion. Instead, Alain Prost won his second title and Mansell had to wait six years to win his championship.

- Is there any place that Lewis Hamilton doesn’t just love to go to? To race at an absolutely fabulous circuit, where the fans are just the greatest and thanks so much for coming out and yada, yada, yada? Just wondering.

- Sergio Marchionne will step down as top dog at Fiat-Chrysler in 2017 (my money is on a Canadian, Reid Bigland, to succeed him) and spend his years in retirement running Ferrari. He’s in charge now but he’s got bigger fish to fry with the automobile company to spend too much time on the Scuderia.

One thing he can do in the meantime is to dump Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal and managing director. Give the job on a temporary basis to one-time team boss Luca Baldisserri (who’s busy these days coaching Canadian Lance Stroll in Formula 3 and Michael Schumacher’s son Mick in Formula 4) and decide on a long-term replacement over the next year. Arrivabene is over his head and it shows time and again.

In the first stint Sunday, he left Vettel out too long and the tire let go (Vettel, the good solider, said that wasn’t the reason the tire blew – but it was) and then he called Raikkonen into the pits at the wrong time (Kimi was stuck behind the Red Bulls when he rejoined, which was just poor planning). This is Formula One and everybody has to be the best, from the drivers to the roadies. Arrivabene just doesn’t cut it.

- Finally, his drive Sunday showed that Kimi Raikkonen still has it and he should be rewarded with another contract to keep kicking butt for Ferrari. But stop leaving the guy hanging: give him a contract for two years – but deliver him his notice at the same time. Stroll and Schumacher won’t be ready till 2019 and they’re the future. Ferrari will need two new top guns then anyway, because Vettel will be off to Mercedes at about that time.

OTHER WEEKEND RACING - IMSA, NASCAR, Pinty’s, CTCC

I was away the last two weeks and when I say away, I mean away. I didn’t watch any racing and my cellphone was turned off much of the time. As a result, I didn’t see last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup road race in California, in which Tony Stewart was the winner.

To say that I was surprised when I heard this would be an understatement. Stewart has not been himself since that ugly sprint car incident a year ago and then he went and hurt himself on a dune buggy before the season started, which he’s said would be his last in Cup. He hasn’t been driving particularly well this season, either. NASCAR, however, has been bending over backwards to make it possible for him to qualify for the Chase. You should bear all of this in mind as we move forward.

Apparently, Denny Hamlin got so excited about leading that race a week ago – he and Stewart were one-two on the last lap – that when he got to the very last corner he went wide. Can you imagine that? Denny Hamlin is leading a race at the last corner and he goes wide. You and me: we’d go wide, but Denny Hamlin? He went wide, though, and Stewart slipped through to steal the victory.

Whoo-ee. Way to go, Tony! He’s now in the top 30 in points and if he can stay there, he’ll be in the Chase. Who’d of thunk it, eh?

The last time I can remember being suspicious about the finish of a Cup race was in 2001, when Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona just as the 500 ended and the next time they raced at Daytona, which was that July, who should the winner be but Dale Earnhardt Jr. I mean, talk about a Hollywood script!

I can remember that night as if it was yesterday. I was announcing at Oswego Speedway at the time and it had started to rain a little after 9 p.m. By 9:30, the decision was made to postpone the rest of the program. I was out of that place like a shot because I was staying at the Best Western Captain’s Quarters on Saturday nights in those days and they had a killer salad bar and a great surf ‘n turf special on offer in the restaurant and they served till 10 p.m. I ran in the front door, literally with moments to spare, calling for the waiter to make my filet mignon medium rare and was soon sitting with a hastily put-together heaping plate of salad at a table just in front of the big-screen TV they had in the dining room.

It was the best of all possible worlds: steak, lobster tail and salad and the Firecracker 400 on television (okay, the Pepsi 400). But there was another thing I remember that helped make everything else stand out.

When Dale Jr. won the race and started doing donuts in the infield, the bartender couldn’t hold herself back. “Oh, sure,” she said. “Daddy gets killed and the kid wins the next time out. Give me a break.”

So I wasn’t the only one who thought it was quite a coincidence.

Now, I have to explain something about what sometimes — maybe — goes on in NASCAR. And other series, too. For instance, Flavio Briatore once told Peter Windsor on live TV, just as the Grand Prix of Monaco was about to start, that having Ferrari on the pole was “good for business. We planned that.” He wasn’t kidding.

Nobody is suggesting that NASCAR calls all the drivers together and says they want so-and-so to win a race. But it’s like fixing the price of sugar between competing companies, or the price of gasoline in Canada (which is all the same): everybody involved knows what game is being played and what will make everybody happy. What’s “good for business.”

Tony Stewart has had his problems but he’s been a great champion. He is hugely popular, particularly with the grass roots. NASCAR would love Tony to be able to make the Chase in his final season and everybody in the sport — never mind just Cup — knows it. So what’s the harm in helping to make that happen? Denny Hamlin is leading that race last Sunday and it’s the last lap — hell, the last corner — and he glances in his mirror and who’s on his back bumper but Tony Stewart.

What would you do?

And that’s how those things work.

I’m not saying that’s what happened, but I’m suggesting it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Tony’s honour, is building a 3/16-mile dirt oval race track over near Turn 3. The idea is for Tony to turn a few laps in a midget this week on Tuesday as part of the PR campaign leading up to the July 24 Brickyard 400. Everybody is quite excited about this, apparently, and the dirt track might even become a permanent fixture at the famed speedway as it tries to link IMS to its midget- and sprint car-racing past.

Okay, back to Cup racing. This week, Brad Keselowski gave Penske Racing its 100th NASCAR victory when he won what is now the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on turday night.

It was an interesting race until Lap 90 when a massive crash took out half of the 40-car field. As is the norm with NASCAR, many of the 22 wrecked cars returned to the speedway to tootle around, giving the appearance of a full field, but they weren’t factors.

Keselowski, though, led 115 laps, so dominated the race. But he had some moments, including surviving three caution flags in the last 30 laps, plus a green-white-checker. Both the final restart and the one in overtime saw him pushed by his teammate, Joey Logano, and that caused some hard feelings and resulted in the Captain himself, Roger Penske, going to the defence of his drivers at the post-race press conference.

Kyle Busch finished second while Trevor Bayne was third.

Drag racing, Formula E, sprint car report

They held the Nitro Nationals at Toronto Motorsport Park this weekend but I have no results. . . . Sebastien Buemi won the Formula E championship that wrapped up its season in London. I watched a bit of that race. The racing wasn’t bad but even on TV there wasn’t any noise and I found that disconcerting. I loved Dario Franchitti’s commentary. He’s as natural on television as Paul Tracy. Time to team those two guys up on IndyCar and F1 telecasts. Next season, Formula E will race in Montreal and maybe New York. It will not return to Long Beach, mainly because nobody attended. I don’t know why they continue with this promotion: the IMSA SportsCar Series accommodates all manner of propulsion, as does Le Mans. That’s where electric cars belong. Out there against the hybrids and the big bangers. . . . Brad Sweet won the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cup Series race at Badlands Motor Speedway in Brandon, S.D., Saturday night. Joey Saldana finished second with David Gravel third. Donny Schatz still leads the points chase but Sweet is gaining. Schatz didn’t take the Saturday loss lightly and roared back at the same track Sunday night to win his 12th race of the season, Saldana and Gravel repeated as second- and third-place finishers.

NASCAR Pinty’s Report from Circuit ICAR, by Jason Christley

Not even a late-race caution could slow Andrew Ranger's return to Victory Lane at Circuit ICAR.

A year after coming up second on the 2.113-mile, 14-turn road course on the grounds of Montreal-Mirabel International Airport, Ranger dominated Sunday's Ecko Unlimited 100. It was the fourth win in six races at Circuit ICAR, and extended his NASCAR Pinty's Series career wins record to 22.

"It's almost a family here," Ranger said. "To win another race at home is fantastic."

Alex Labbe, who won the E3 Spark Plug Pole Award in Saturday's qualifying, came home second and defending race winner Kevin Lacroix was third, making for an all-Quebec podium. DJ Kennington and Elie Arseneau were fourth and fifth, respectively.

With the victory, Ranger retook the championship points lead by six from teenager Cayden Lapcevich. Lapcevich, 16, finished eighth in his first race at ICAR. Labbe is third in points, a point behind Lapcevich.

The weekend didn't start out looking good for Ranger. The Roxton Pond, Que., driver who previously raced Indy cars in the CART and Champ Car series, posted the fastest time in the first practice Saturday morning, but suffered an engine issue that prompted him to miss the second practice as the team swapped motors. He qualified second behind Labbe, who broke Ranger's 2013 track record.

In last year's race, Ranger chased Lacroix the entire race, which ran green to checkered without a caution. It was the first race at ICAR that Ranger didn't lead at least a lap. He was determined this year not to let that happen again.

On the second lap Sunday, Labbe left the bottom open slightly going into the Turn 1 hairpin and Ranger pounced to take the lead.

Ranger ran easily out front until a yellow flag for debris on Lap 22. On the subsequent restart, though, Ranger powered back into the lead and finished .883 seconds ahead of Labbe and more than seven seconds in front of Lacroix.

Alex Tagliani finished sixth after getting knocked back from third on the final restart. Gary Klutt, Lapcevich, JF Dumoulin and Patrick Dussault rounded out the top 10.

The Ecko Unlimited 100 will air on TSN4/5 on Sun., July 10., at 1 p.m. The NASCAR Pinty's Series will return to action on Sat., July 16, with the Pinty’s Grand Prix of Toronto headlining the middle of the three-day 30th Honda Indy Toronto weekend.

IMSA WeatherTech Report from Watkins Glen, by Chris Banker

Nothing about winning an endurance race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is easy.

That much was evident Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International in New York. In the end, Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi were rewarded for a smooth, consistent run in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.

Barbosa, Fittipaldi and the rest will race next weekend in the Mobil 1 Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, north of Bowmanville.

"It was probably one of the fastest pace races that I've done in a while,” said Barbosa. “The track really suits this kind of racing. We did a few changes after qualifying and we really hit it. The car was really good. It was a great race, very hard."

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP methodically worked its way to victory lane, taking advantage of competitors' misfortune, while staying out of trouble just long enough to tighten their grip on the championship lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship prototype class.

Other category winners in the 2016 edition of the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen included Renger van der Zande and Alex Popow (Prototype Challenge), Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook (GT Le Mans), and Christina Nielson, Alessandro Balzan, and Jeff Segal (GT Daytona).

The race, which began at 10 a.m. EDT., went under full course caution just over 30 minutes into the running, when the No. 20 Prototype Challenge entry of Johnny Mowlem, running second, made heavy contact with the guard rail on the back straight.

Mowlem was evaluated and released from the care centre following the incident, which was precipitated by a battle with James French. French and his co-driver, Barrie’s Kyle Marcelli (who was the subject of a feature article published in Saturday’s Toronto Star Wheels section), eventually finished second in the PC class.

IMSA Continental Tire report from Watkins Glen, by Chris Banker

Trent Hindman and Cameron Cassels won a highly competitive Continental Tire 150 at Watkins Glen Saturday. Hindman, a 2014 series champion, led a Porsche sweep of the podium following a late-race battle that included both CJ Wilson Racing Caymans.

"For us, the only reason we were in that position was because of Cameron and his stint, and from the strategy the Bodymotion guys put in for pit stops," Hindman said. "It was all about the team putting me in the right place to make my move. Patience was king today, it would have been easy to get ahead of myself and throw the car where it didn't want to go and throw us both out of good results."

Nick Galante and Spencer Pumpelly earned their first win of the season in the Street Tuner class, outlasting fellow Cayman duos of Jason Rabe/Devin Jones and Matthew Dicken/Corey Lewis. For Galante, it was the first win of his Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Career.

"My first win. Wow. It all started with the test that we opted for. We kept our head down and made our way to the front. Keeping your nose clean and passing someone where you preserve yourself and the car is key here."

The race featured an early full-course yellow, with several Grand Sport cars involved in an incident during the field's first trip through the second turn. Later, both class leaders found trouble, with ST leader Chad McCumbee spinning and tagging the tire wall, while Billy Johnson's No. 15 Ford Shelby was the victim of trouble in pit lane and an extended final stop, forcing him to surrender his advantage over his GS competitors.

A fierce, three-way scrap for the overall race win ensued, with Hindman holding off charges by Tyler McQuarrie, co-driver of Till Bechtolsheimer and Marc Miller, co-driver of Daniel Burkett.

Hargrove, from Surrey, B.C., passed pole sitter Morad of Toronto with 21 minutes remaining in the 45-minute race and drove away to victory in a race that finished under caution. Morad won Friday on the 11-turn, 3.4-mile circuit at Watkins Glen, with Hargrove finishing second.

Zach Robichon, from Ottawa, finished third overall Saturday and completed an overall podium sweep by Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama drivers in the second-ever joint race between the two International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned Single-Make Series.

"The car was just fantastic," Hargrove said. "I'm excited to win here in the States with this joint event and with IMSA here. I just hope we have more events like this in the future."

Porsche GT3 Canada drivers won all four combined rounds this season. Hargrove triumphed in both rounds June 10-12 at Montreal and today, with Morad capturing the 45-minute race Friday at Watkins Glen.

Andrew Longe, from Naples, Fla., finished fourth overall and earned his first career Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama victory. Chris Green, from Montreal, rounded out the top five overall and was second in the USA series.

Canadian Touring Car Championship report, by Service-Presse

At the wheel of his Dimensions Doors & Windows Honda Civic Si, Rémy Audette earned two victories this weekend at Mirabel’s Circuit ICAR in the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC).

As the only Audette Racing Team driver entered in this event, Rémy had a perfect weekend, including the fastest time in qualifying and the lap record in each of the races on the program.

These two CTCC races were Audette’s first of the 2016 season, as he will only be contesting a partial program this year. But the Audette Racing Team driver did not miss his chance.

“It’s a good weekend; actually, it’s a perfect weekend,” said the former American Formula 2000 champion.

Three Audettes will see action at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in August: Rémy, his older brother Mathieu (Acura RSX) and their father François (Porsche Cayman) will all see action.

Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs report, by Service-Presse

At the third of nine rounds in the 2016 Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC), the popular Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs in the Gaspé region of Québec, local favourites André and René Leblanc won by 37 seconds over Maxime Labrie/Anik Barrette. In two-wheel drive, multi-time Quebec champion Simon Dubé earned himself another victory, co-driven by American Aaron Crescenti.

Considered to be one of the best performance rallies in North America, the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs attracted a high number of participants this year, of which no less than 26 were entered in the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship.

Championship leaders heading into this event, Jean-Sébastien Besner and Yvan Joyal (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.IX) had to settle for 13th place after suffering from mechanical issues early in the rally. In total, twenty-one ECRC teams finished the event, contested on gravel and often muddy roads.

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) consists of nine rounds this season, all at the regional level, spread out between Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime provinces. The Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally, the next round, will take place next Saturday in Catchacoma, Ont.

Cornwall Speedway Report, by Clayton Johns

Charlie Sandercock drove from the fourth starting position to take the lead from Adam Turner on lap 10 and led the final 25 laps to win the Valley Automation and Control Cornwall Clash presented by Guillevin International on Sunday night at Cornwall Motor Speedway. The win is Sanercock’s second straight on the Go Nuclear Late Model Series tour.

Andy Mayhew (No.1 A&A Haulage) and Turner (No.92 Village Variety) started on the front row for the 35-lap main event and battled side-by-side for the opening seven laps. The two drivers exchanged the point position four times before Turner claimed the top spot on lap eight.

Sandercock (No.57 Bellevue Fabricating) took advantage of the two cars separating and passed Mayhew for second on lap nine and one lap later took the lead from Turner exiting turn two.

“The track was great. We took the green and it was a pretty good run between the top three,” Sandercock said. “I had the option to go through the middle a couple of times but I backed out of it. I knew it was a long race. The opportunity came along later and we took the hole, then carried on from there.”

“I get nervous running up there,” Turner said of his ability to run the top lane early on. “I think I should have been even higher getting in to the corner and I would have been in better shape, but you had to get to the bottom first and Charlie did that.”

Phil Potts (No.29 Vanderlaan Building Products) drove to third on lap 13 and was part of a three-car breakaway from the rest of the field. On lap 15, Sandercock hit traffic, but was not slowed as he navigated both the high and low lanes without much difficulty.

At lap 25, Sandercock’s lead was two seconds over Turner, which equated to about a straightaway on the racetrack. Potts began to pressure Turner for second at the same time, but never got closer than a car length of the runner-up spot.

With two laps to go, Turner mounted a charge and reduced Sandercock’s lead to 0.8 seconds as the leader caught another group of lapped cars. At the white flag, Turner was attached to the rear bumper of the No.57 and appeared to have an excellent run entering turn one. A bobble in turn two, however, set Turner back three car lengths down the backstretch for the final time, eliminating his chance of victory.

“I thought I was going to have a chance on the last lap, but I don’t know if somebody kicked up some water in turn one because I thought I blew a left-rear. The car turned sideways and I had to regather it,” Turner explained. “I think if I could have got a run, I would have been in good shape and I might have got him off turn four.”

Sandercock’s win was his 10th in series history, breaking a tie with two-time series champion Dale Caswell (No.118 Predator Racecars), making him the winningest driver in series history. The win was also Sandercock’s first at Cornwall.

Potts completed the podium with his third-place finish, his second-straight top-three finish with the tour.

“We might have made the wrong change. We didn’t have enough forward drive off. Good in and good in the middle, just not enough off (the corner). Still, it was a blast. The track is always so fun to run here,” Potts said in victory lane.

The Go Nuclear Late Model Series will be back in action on Sunday, July 24 at Humberstone Speedway in Port Colborne, Ont. and Monday, July 25 at Ohsweken Speedway, near Brantford, Ont., for the $2000-to-win Northern Crate Nationals. Event information will be available at www.gonuclearlatemodelseries.com .

Brighton Speedway Report, by Clayton Johns

An early morning rain shower dissipated into a gorgeous July evening for Brighton Speedway’s annual Canada Day Mid-Season Championships presented by Brighton Automotive, The Community Press and Mystical Distributing on Saturday, July 2. A total 62 cars were signed in to the pit area across the four divisions in action.

Qualifying time trials started the afternoon at 5:00pm before extended distance races for the four divisions in competition. Adam Flieler set a new track record in Bill’s Johns Comp 4 competition with a lap of 18.173 seconds, just .002 seconds faster than the mark set by Brady Greer on July 4, 2015. Phil Potts was the fast time award winner in Vanderlaan Building Products Pro Late Model qualifying, Kraig Handley claimed the award for the Bainer’s OilGARD Canadian Modifieds and Jonah Mutton earned the award with the Brighton Automotive Pro Stocks.

Potts Sweeps The Night For Second Win

Phil Potts (No.29 Vanderlaan) turned in a perfect performance on Saturday night and earned his second win of the season in the process. Potts led 47 laps of the 50-lap distance on route to the victory.

Greg Belyea (No.25 Excel Tower Service) and Steve Baldwin (No.5 Pro Advantage Sports) started on the front row for the main event. Belyea led the opening lap while Kyle Sopaz (No.12 Lots and Lines) raced to second. The fourth-starting Potts was on the move, however. On the third lap, Potts raced past Sopaz in turn two for the second spot and drove past Belyea in turn four to take the lead.

From there, Potts nurtured a commanding lead over Charlie Sandercock (No.57 Bellevue Fabricating) and Brandon Mowat (No.46 Target Fabrication) who held the seconds and third spots by lap 13. At its largest, Potts’ lead was over four seconds and just five cars remained on the lead lap at the time of the race’s only caution on lap 43.

The restart was irrelevant for Potts, who never cast a shadow of doubt he would park in victory lane for the second time. Mowat used the restart to pass Sandercock for second while Adam Turner (No.92 Village Variety) advanced to fourth past Sopaz in the final laps.

Hennessy Steals Win From Greig

Andrew Hennessy (No.87 Custom Automotive) stole victory from the hands of Derrick Greig (No.48 Greig Truck & Trailer) with two laps to go and earned his fourth win of the season.

Greig earned the pole via the revenge redraw and proved he was up for the task. A series of cautions on lap two slowed the race early, but led to a 33-lap green flag run. Fifth starting Shawn Gregory (No.1 CPS Wood Products) drove to the front to challenge Greig following the restart and took the lead in the outside lane on lap 11.

Greig persevered on the bottom, however, and retook the top position on lap 16. From there, Greig opened a lead of 4.6 seconds over the field and the second-place runner Hennessy, who took the position from Gregory on lap 26.

It was all for not, however, as Greig was reeled in by the final caution of the night on lap 35. He paced Hennessy for three laps until the No.87 got an excellent run to the bottom of the speedway in turn two and completed the pass in turns three and four. He led the final two laps for his fourth win of the season. Greig settled for second ahead of Kraig Handley (No.91 Tri-Canadian Energy), who took third from Gregory in the dying laps. Josh Hennessy (No.88 A&A Haulage) completed the top-five.

Ramsay Earns Fourth Win in Five Weeks

Justin Ramsay (No.03 Empey Tire) kicked off the month of July the same way he concluded June: with a win. The Campbellford Chrylser Driver of the Month award winner for June started on the pole following the redraw and led every circuit in the 25-lap Brighton Automotive Pro Stock feature to claim his fifth win of the season and fourth in the past five weeks.

Brandon Murrell (No.19 Hannah Motors) and Shawn Gregory (No.01 Rapid Rad) raced side-by-side for second behind the leader Ramsay in the opening laps. The battled continued following a lap three restart, the first of three in the race, and Gregory claimed the position.

Ramsay’s lead of 15 car lengths was eliminated by a lap 10 caution and gave Murrell a shot at the lead. However, Murrell would have his hands full contending with Wade Purchase (No.53 Independent Alternator and Starter) who drove to the front after starting 16th. Purchase took the second spot on lap 12 and was then challenged by rookie Austin Reid (No.85 Kids R Kool). Reid eventually wore out the top lane and slipped back to fourth at the finish behind Purchase and Murrell. Jonah Mutton (No.39 Apex Graphics), the division’s fast qualifier, finished fifth.

Read Scores Second Win In Thiller

Josh Read (No.04 Down To Earth Landscaping) and Tyler French (No.0 Empey Tire) waged the best battle of the season in the Bill’s Johns Comp 4 division with Read emerging the victor at the checkered flag.

Read led the opening lap after pole sitter Bella Cosstick (No.24 Active Wealth Management) had issues getting to speed on the initial start. The fourth-starting French quickly engaged in a battle for the lead, wasting little time in the 20-lap affair.

French took the lead in the bottom lane on a very slick track during the night’s final race. Read wasn’t going to fade away quietly and maintained pace with the race leader until he pounced and took the point position on lap six exiting turn four.

Read led the final 14 laps on the way to victory, but not without a multi-lap side-by-side battled with French in which the two drivers raced perfectly clean. Matthew Moore (No.14 Farl’s Auto Body) raced to a third-place finish ahead of Matthew French (No.13 Lava Clean) and Luke Toms (No.19 Diamond Detailing).

A scary incident in the final heat race of the night saw the only red flag of the evening. Glenn Hamer (No.27) went off the track in turn two and flipped upside down. Hamer was uninjured, but the damage to the car was too severe for him to continue.

Up Next – Southern Ontario Sprints Return on July 9

The Southern Ontario Sprints return for their third visit of the season on Saturday, July 9 presented by VanZuylen Tire and Electro Cables. The event is also round two of the Hotch’s Auto Parts Pro Late Model Triple Crown. Canadian Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Comp 4s and Stingers are all on the schedule as well as a demonstration from the Brighton Speedway Kart Klub presented by Kiwanis of Trenton. Racing starts at 7:00pm. Complete event information is available at www.brightonspeedway.ca .

Flamboro Speedway Report, by Randy Spencer

One of the biggest crowds of the season was treated to an awesome night of racing Saturday at Bennett Chevrolet Flamboro Speedway that included an exciting King of the Hill Spectator race during intermission and an equally exciting Demolition Derby after the race that included some roll overs.

The Flamboro Stadium & Speedway Pure Stocks ran their postponed feature from June 11th. Peter Becker was victorious in that race. The two regularly scheduled races went to Bob Hillar and Gary Slama, who was in the car for Andy Wheller. In post race tech inspection, the 90 car didn't pass and was DQ'd for the night giving the win to Rodney Rutherford.

The Klotz Auto Repair & Engine Machine Shop Mini Stocks ran two heats. Blair Wickett has been the hot shoe lately and he showed it again tonight with a win in the first heat and a second in feature number two. Race two winner was another guy on a roll, Russ Aicken. Going into the night the points race in Mini Stocks was pretty much as close as you can get. Chad Ditner, who had a fourth and fifth on this night was the leader with 785 points. Aicken was second at 781 followed by Wickett at 778. The points race will be heating up like the weather as the summer continues. This will be exciting to watch!!

The Ray's Auto Centre & Towing Thunder Cars continue to thrill as well. Exciting bumper to bumper and door to door action in this division always makes it exciting to watch. Hudson Nagy won all three features last week and was out to avenge that feat. He made it close on this night but was only able to a second and third place finish on the night. Feature wins went to Shawn Arnott and Chris Howse.

The Pro Four Modifieds had a few old but familiar names out tonight. Flamboro Stadium & Speedway Hall of Famer Stan Pokupec was out for his first night of the year. He was in Dan Nanticoke's car. Other familiar names that were in tonight included Shannon Morris and Mark Millard. Brian Nanticoke who has a slim seventeen point lead over Dave Hodgkinson won the first feature. Cliff Hodgkinson won feature two.

The Ontario Modifieds series made their first visit to Flamboro Speedway this season. Eleven cars signed in and John Baker Jr. was the winner in the twelve lap heat and twenty five lap feature event. They'll make a return engagement in a few weeks.

That brought to a close another exciting night of racing. Makes plans to join us Saturday July 9th for OSCAAR night. The Super Late Models, Modifieds, Midgets and Pro Midgets make their third appearance of 2016. They are joined by the Lucas Oil Canadian Vintage Modifieds and the Ontario Pro Challenge series. Pits open at 2pm, front gates at 5pm with racing getting underway at 6 p.m.

Dylan Westbrook looked to finally have his first 360 Sprint Car A-Feature win within his grasp after several close calls in the past, but Dave Dykstra had other plans in the 25 lap race. Westbrook worked well through traffic and a heavy track surface for most of the race, but Dykstra worked hard to keep the leader in sight, and capitalized when Westbrook's momentum was broken in traffic.

Dykstra stuck with the treacherous and fast top groove, and moved around the outside of Westbrook as the two drivers raced under the white flag. Dykstra stayed ahead to claim his first win since 2011, while Westbrook settled for the runner-up spot ahead of Jim Huppunen, Cory Turner, and Mitch Brown.

NOTES: Mitch Brown continues to lead the 360 Sprint Car championship standings, while his brother Jake is ahead of Westbrook by just 11 points in the Rookie of the Year chase...Chris Durand, Adam West, Frank Baranowski, and Chris Steele made their first visits of the season to Ohsweken, while Cole MacDonald competed in his first career 360 Sprint Car race...MacDonald brought the race to a stop on lap 7 when he tipped over in turn 4.

STRICKLAND'S GMC CRATE SPRINT CARS (14 entries)

Jesse McDonald, Aaron Turkey, and Mike Thorne raced three-wide for the lead several times during the 20 lap Crate Sprint Car A-Feature. They had already swapped the lead several times when Brad Herron caught a rut while trying to pass points leader Ryan Hunsinger and flipped hard in turn one just short of halfway. Both his car and championship bid were damaged, but Herron was able to walk away uninjured.

Jesse McDonald eventually took the win for the second straight week, but not before both Thorne and Turkey tried to take the lead away. Thorne was ahead down the backstretch on the final lap, but McDonald prevailed in the bottom groove in turns three and four. Thorne settled for the runner-up spot by just 0.086 seconds, with Turkey 0.224 seconds behind. Holly Porter took the 4th spot after a prolonged fight with Jordan Hill, who rounded out the top 5.

NOTES: Ryan Hunsinger finished 6th and is now tied with Rookie of the Year leader Jesse McDonald for the Crate Sprint Car championship points lead...Jeremy Hughes made his first start of the season driving in Mack DeMan's usual #4 ride for Barr Motorsports, while DeMan was away running his TQ Midget.

The 5th annual Brock Leonard Memorial 50 for the Thunder Stock division featured a $2,000 winner's prize, and paid points toward both the Ohsweken championship and Duel on the Dirt combined series. The result was a talented entry list of 45 drivers, and some hard racing.

Ryan Dinning started 7th and took the lead of the 50 lap A-Feature on lap 2, going on to visit victory lane for the third consecutive week. A host of drivers tried to challenge Dinning at various points, while a number of yellow flags tested his patience. Dave Bailey mounted the most serious charge on Dinning, but saw his hopes for a win literally go up in smoke with mechanical problems on lap 28.

Dinning went on to take the win by nearly 5 seconds over Dale Gyokery, who then saw his runner-up finish and $1,000 share of the purse go to third place finisher Pete Reid after technical inspection. Reid, Bryce Richardson, Rob Murray, and Steve Hess persevered to take top five finishes.

NOTES: The Thunder Stock championship standings became much closer after the Brock Leonard Memorial 50, as defending champ Dave Bailey and Karl Sault are now tied for the lead, with Dinning just 3 markers behind...Jason Lungaro is up to 5th in the overall standings, and continues to lead the Rookie of the Year chase...Dinning became the 5th different winner of the Brock Leonard Memorial 50, adding his name to the trophy along with previous winners Brad Herron, Ryan Turner, Lee Winger, and Karl Sault...Defending Brighton Speedway champion Justin Ramsay briefly held the 2nd position in the race, but had to go to the pits to replace the cover on his air cleaner...Defending Humberstone Speedway champ Jason Fontaine and defending Merrittville Speedway champ Mark Fawcett both failed to make the 24 car starting field after problems in their qualifying races.

HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS (35 entries)

Mark Bazuin methodically worked his way to the front of the field from row six and took the lead from Aaron Rewutzsky on lap 5 of the Mini Stock A-Feature. Bazuin held the lead for the remainder of the 15 lap race, while 18th starter Brandon Crumbie was right behind the leader at various times. A late yellow flag set up a one lap dash to the finish, but Crumbie had to settle for the runner-up spot ahead of 19th starter Brandon Janssens, Jon Janssens, and Chris Ryckman.

NOTES: Brandon Janssens extended his Mini Stock championship points lead to 40 points over brother Jon...Brandon Crumbie is 4th overall in the championship standings, and leads the Rookie of the Year chase.

GALE'S AUTO AFTERMARKET BOMBERS (13 entries)

Jerry Burnham started 6th and moved through the top five to claim his second consecutive A-Feature win in the Bomber division. Jake Maas drove from 10th to finish 2nd in the 12 lap race, while Ashley Nelson got onto the podium for the second week in a row. Kyle Wert and Dustin Longboat rounded out the top 5.

NOTES: The championship chase remains extremely close, as Paul Longboat is the points leader, with Jake Maas and Wayde Thorne behind by just one and two points, respectively...Joey Wilcox remains the Rookie of the Year standings leader.

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